Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Back to Business

Headlines - September 2, 2011


Business as Usual
- Yesterday I was leaving the school at mid-morning to visit the pre-school Get Acquainted Day and I had the pleasure of witnessing a familiar sight. I was standing at the front doors about to make the short walk to the front parking lot when one of our middle school boys, Devlin, flashed in front of me. I watched him go past and catch up with some of his classmates a little further down the sidewalk. On my right,a collective growl caught my attention and when I looked, I saw Dagny (another middle school student) being chased by a large roving band of 2nd and 3rd grade students led by Meg. Everyone was having a great time. The middle school students would wait long enough for the little ones to get close, and after they let out a most terrifying growl, the older students would feign distress and run a little further down the path. This leapfrog of activity continued for quite a while and I saw a smile on everyone’s face. Their play reminded me that we are both a school and a community. While I am always happy to see them playing together, I know this is business as usual at Friends.


Announcements

Drop off and Pick Up Information – Please check your child’s Friday Folder for information regarding school pick up and drop off procedures. Parents who are picking up or dropping off students during peak times should use the far parking lot for the safety of all of our students. Look for more details in the Friday Folder.


Back to School Night
– Our annual Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 15th (not the 23rd as reported in my August letter). Please save the date, as it will be an excellent time for you to find out about Friends School and become familiar with your child’s classroom and teachers. Our schedule is as follows.

All parents are asked to arrive by 7 pm. There will be a short talk and introductions in the Community Room.
From 7:15 – 7:45 there will be presentations in the K/1, 5th, and middle school classrooms. All other parents are invited to have coffee and mingle in the Community Room. Our specialist teachers and administrators will be on hand to talk with you about school programs.
From 7:45 – 8:15 there will be presentations in the 2/3 and 4th grade classrooms. All other parents are invited to mingle and have coffee.

We stagger our schedule to give multi-student families the ability to attend as many of the classroom presentations as possible. Due to space constraints, we cannot provide childcare on Back to School night.

Potluck Suppers – Two potlucks are scheduled this fall. A Potluck for the K/1 classes will be held on Friday, September 9th from 5:30 to 7 pm. This supper is a way for our new parents to meet and begin forming a parent classroom community. An all-school potluck is scheduled for Friday, September 30th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Potlucks are a wonderful way for our community to come together in a relaxed and informal manner. Both events will be held in the Community Room. We hope you will join us to make new friends.

Dogs: We seem to be a school of dog-lovers, but this year we have two students who don’t yet share our enthusiasm for our furry friends. If you bring your dog along when you pick up or drop off your child, please be certain that it’s leashed and under your control. Although some of us might love the sight of an exuberant dog barreling down the hallway, it could be overwhelming for a child with a fear of dogs. Also, please check with the teacher before entering a classroom with your pooch.

Medication Policy Change: Due to a change in state regulations, Friends School has had to change its policy on administering medication to children. State law now prohibits us from giving children any medication. We cannot administer over-the-counter medications, nor can we give children medications that have been prescribed for them. We will be able to use Epi-Pens and we’ll also be able to help children with their use of inhalers as necessary. We can still apply topical ointments and Band-Aids. We know that this may make things inconvenient for parents and we apologize. Unfortunately, this is out of our hands. Parents are always welcome to come in to school to give medication to their children.

Head Lice: When children return to school in the fall, head lice often come with them. Our students have returned from many different summer programs, summer camps, vacation spots, and traveling locally and internationally. They had lots of opportunities to pick up head lice in all sorts of exotic locations, and a few of the critters took advantage of those opportunities. We’ve had a couple of confirmed cases since school began, and we’ve begun checking heads at school. We’d like to ask for you to keep an eye on things at home, too. Check your child periodically, treat immediately, and let us know if your child’s been affected.

Please have a great weekend!

Dan